I had triple bypass surgery five years ago. It's not a picnic, and you all have my sympathy.

May I make a suggestion that could make her recovery more comfortable? I discovered something on my own that I'll pass along here. You need a diversion anyway, right?

During recovery, the sternum area of the chest is quite uncomfortable. Not painful, mind you, just uncomfortable. I described the feeling as if a pair of kittens had sunk their claws into the bones and were just sort of hanging there. This eventually goes away, but it takes about five months or so.

I found a way to fix that.

My cat, Pixel, believed that her place in the universe was on my chest if I sat down in a chair, particularly in my recliner. I spent a lot of time in that recliner during recovery. So, I used a bit of armor, as it were. I put a thin, soft, fleece-coated pillow on my chest. It was about 12" square and about 2" thick. She weighed only about seven pounds, so when she laid on my chest, on this pillow, it spread her weight a bit and made her presence quite tolerable (therapeutic, actually).

I discovered that the uncomfortable feelings in the sternum area simply DISAPPEARED while that pillow was laying on it. Beats me why, but what a discovery ...

I'm a side sleeper, and I found that if I hugged that pillow to my chest with my "uphill" arm, those same feelings went away, my arm put far less pressure on my chest, and sleeping was quite easier and more comfortable. Again, beats me why, but what a discovery ...

Be aware that the hospital will provide her with a thick, stiff pillow to use when she coughs. It WORKS. Just compress it against the sternum slightly so that coughing doesn't try to expand the chest outward.

This new pillow I discovered is an ADDITIONAL pillow with different characteristics and a different purpose. I'll bet the hospital has never heard of it.

Seriously, this thick, soft pillow made a really big difference with me, and it might with her.

Having survived a double bypass myself, My prayers are with you and your Mom.. Most , Hell all of what DJ said is true and i still use my pillow two yrs after my bypass. It seems to take years to recover fully as i still have some days of pins and needles in my chest. I hope she adjusts to the lifestyle change she has just gone through. all the best love and prayers to you all.

"I saw to what extent the people among whom I lived could be trusted as good neighbors and friends; that their friendship was for summer weather only; that they did not greatly propose to do right; that they were a distinct race from me by their prejudices and superstitions."